


Broken Pieces

by Petalpistols



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Loneliness, Loss, Memory Loss, One Shot, Other, POV Third Person, Past Character Death, Past Lives, Self-Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petalpistols/pseuds/Petalpistols
Summary: Just a one-shot about Link and his feelings on his foggy past and dangerous quest.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Broken Pieces

He was a bundle of strange shapes and lines. An organic form of colors squashed into one person. Perhaps he was meant to feel whole, or at the very least, maybe at one point he had. But he couldn’t recall a time he felt such a way. He thought of himself as a stranger in his own body, or rather, he  _ was  _ a stranger in someone else's body. Along his flesh lined tragedies, white markings that told tales of battles won  _ and  _ lost. However, he could not say when and how he had come to carry them. He could not share stories of war, as he could not recall the soldier he used to be. It seemed like everyone else knew who he was but himself. Strangers telling Link who he is, all that he’s accomplished, and the heroic deeds he had performed, once upon a time. 

It was bizarre, like he was an outsider listening in. Privy to a story about someone else, one who bore responsibility and heroism like well-worn armor. But it /was/ about him. They used his name, and looked to him with eyes full of recognition and hope. Perhaps it was meant to be something of a comfort, an olive branch reaching out. But Link couldn’t perceive it in such a way. He hated the pity, the melancholy of the past that seemed to follow him like a ghost longing for the taste of life. Expectations piled atop expectations, a silent plea spoken like a mantra. 

_ Save Hyrule. Save the Princess. Destroy Calamity. _

But how could he? He felt so out of place in a world that was so familiar, yet so foreign. Echoes of the past often familiarized themselves with Link, only to leave just as quickly as they had come. He tried to capture what he could, but as always, like sand, they slipped between his fingers. He felt frustrated, confused, and so  _ very alone _ . Like he was a piece of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the board. All he could do was trudge forward, and stumble upon what little of this old identity he could. Try to scrape together whatever of himself he could find. But time was of the essence, and his body ached for reprieve. As if his past self was reaching out from the beyond and empathizing with his plight.  _ I’m sorry you have to clean up my mess. I’m sorry it has come to this. _

The state of the world was now his burden to bear. Not whoever he was one hundred years ago. Whoever that man was, was now gone. He felt like an entirely separate entity. His new chance at life had broken the past into nothingness. Although there were moments where recollection licked at the back of his neck, bringing forth feelings that oftentimes overwhelmed the young warrior, he was merely a spectator taking frivolous glimpses into the past. Who was Mipha? He had known her once upon a time. What did Revali mean to Link? What about the other Champions? Even their spirits graced him with a warmth that made Link so uncomfortable. Like he was undeserving of their words. 

_ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. _

And he  _ was  _ sorry. Sorry he couldn’t remember, sorry he wasn’t the same person he was all those years ago. Sorry that he failed them.

Sorry that it had come to this.

**Author's Note:**

> Link is always a fun character to write as. Despite his stoic disposition, there is a LOT to work with in regards to his motives, his character, and his feelings. I hope you all enjoyed it! I plan on writing more BOTW in the future... Perhaps even a multi-chapter series... ;)


End file.
